Rough year grafting pears

[chickenlittle]

If this was my first year grafting, I'd be real discouraged. In then end, I'll probably meet my needs so I can't complain too much. I've read that its best to plant pear rootstock and graft later instead of benchgrafting. I was too impatient to wait another year to start on pears but my results this year show I'd have been more successful planting out the rootstock and grafting next year.

• Year old OHxF97: 7 of 8 grafts took and most growing vigorously
• 50 Bench grafts on OHxF87: 7 look healthy but not vigorous. Most of the rest have been pulled up after failing and dieing. Most of the scions leafed out but declined and the rootstock died-even if the roostock put out a few leaves.
• 16 Bench grafts on P Betulifolia seedlings: 5 look healthy but not vigorous, 1 scion looks poor, rest failed the graft but rootstock all alive. Can regraft next spring.
• 8 bench grafts on Aronia seedlings: 2 alive, rest had the rootstock die.
• 7 bench grafts on serviceberry seedlings (alnifolia): 7 alive but 1 not looking so good. These aren't growing any more vigorously than any other benchgraft but the success rate looks good so far.

Of the 27 new varieties I grafted, I still have good looking grafts of 16 varieties. If the good looking ones all survive, I'll have 20 full size late ripening pear trees which is probably as many as I have room to plant anyway. I will have the P. Betulifolia to regraft next spring. And I should have some early bearing dwarf trees from the aronia and serviceberry. Unless the bench grafts kick into high gear, I expect they will stay in the nursery next summer too.

So while it is sad to pull out and toss so many trees, I'll end up with plenty of pear trees. It will still be cheaper than buying grafted trees plus I've got some late varieties from the USDA GRIN that I can't find commercially. I'll probably even give some trees away, just not as many as I expected.

 

[greyphase]

My experiences mirror yours. Very poor luck with grafting to new rootstock. Excellent luck grafting to one year old rootstock.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I have found better success grafting pears to one year old root stock in the ground over bench grafting as well. Kind of makes digging and moving them a PITA though. Pears are kind of like oaks as they have thicker, tap like roots and it is hard to get good root mass when you dig them. The longer they grow in a non permanent spot the harder they are to transplant.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

I have found better success grafting pears to one year old root stock in the ground over bench grafting as well. Kind of makes digging and moving them a PITA though. Pears are kind of like oaks as they have thicker, tap like roots and it is hard to get good root mass when you dig them. The longer they grow in a non permanent spot the harder they are to transplant.

Sooo
Should i plant root stock in final planting site? Then allow to grow for a Yr then saw it off at 6” and graft desired variety? Maybe be best to avoid the stress of transplant?

 

[Turkey Creek]

Sooo
Should i plant root stock in final planting site? Then allow to grow for a Yr then saw it off at 6” and graft desired variety? Maybe be best to avoid the stress of transplant?

If you can give them good care where you plant them I would just go ahead and do that. I dont think they will do well without supplemental water and weeding the first year.

 

[chickenlittle]

As I expected, a few more of my grafts have died. Some drier weather would be nice.

• Year old OHxF97: 6 of 8 grafts took and most growing vigorously. One graft up and died in the last couple weeks, looked like fireblight. Can plant a few out this fall.
• 50 Bench grafts on OHxF87: 8 still going. most look healthy but not vigorous. Could still lose a couple.
• 16 Bench grafts on P Betulifolia seedlings: 7 grafts still alive, one just popped leaves. Have not lost any rootstock. Nothing growing vigorously. Might need to let grow another year before I regraft them.
• 8 bench grafts on Aronia seedlings: just 1 alive, rest had the rootstock die.
• 7 bench grafts on serviceberry seedlings (alnifolia): 7 still alive and looking OK but none growing vigorously.

I still have a nice list of pear varieties growing, just not as extensive as planned.

• Old Home x P. betulifolia-1 PI-541787
• Ayers
• Eureka
• Gates
• Gelbmostler
• Good Christian
• Homony
• Johantorp
• Keiffer
• Magness
• Maxine
• Mooers
• Olia
• Shenandoah
• Warren
• Yokogoshi

 

[Turkey Creek]

My pears have struggled this year as well.

 

[cavey]

This is good to know, thanks guys and sorry about the losses... I needed to know this in prep for doing some pear grafts next year; I very much appreciate the info you all just passed on. I will be rethinking "how" I go about adding more pears.

 

[Mortenson]

This year all 8 of my pear graft attempts eventually failed.

 

[chickenlittle]

Regrouping for 2019. Before winter hit last fall, I consolidated everything into one nursery bed. This weekend, I dug up the best trees and planted on the farm. The rest get another year in the nursery. I also planted 30 OHxF87 into the nursery to be T-budded this summer or grafted next spring with other late pear selections from GRIN.

• Eureka - OHxF97
• Gelbmostler - OHxF97
• Johantorp - OHxF97
• Yokogoshi - OHxF97
• PI541787 Old Home X Bet - OHxF97
• Gates - OHxF87
• Kieffer - OHxF97

Planted with them was a Cold Snap on OHxF97 from Cummins. I had hoped to snip a bit off it and do some grafts but it was breaking dormanc.
Getting another year in the nursery are the rest of the few bench graft survivors on OHx87.

• Mooers
• Magness
• Maxine
• Gelbmostler
• Johantorp

I have 2 OHxF97 to regraft in nursery. Also some in the orchard to graft to good eating pears (2 OHxF97, 1 OHxF87, and 2 OHxF333).

The trees on seedling P. Betulifolia didn't do much last year so they get another year in the nursery. I thought I'd have some to graft or regraft but those all had died by spring. Hopefully these grow great this year.

• Ayers
• Becton
• Bodle Hill Late
• Good Christian
• Homony
• Keiffer
• Magness
• Olia
• Shenandoah
• Yokogoshi

Finally, I experimented with serviceberry and aronia as rootstock. These did not do much last year so all survivors are still in the nursery. These will be fairly dwarf so they'll go into my orchard, not out for deer pears.

• Johantorp on aronia
• Johantorp on servicberry
• Homony on serviceberry
• Good Christian on serviceberry
• Maxine on serviceberry
• Magness on serviceberry
• Warren on serviceberry

 

[ansayre]

I wish I had read this thread before grafting. I only got 4 of 10 bench-grafted pears to take

 

[b116757]

I’ve also had poor luck bench grafting pears

 

[g squared 23]

I’ve also had poor luck bench grafting pears

Top working has been close to 90%, bench grafting well under 50% or less.


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